


we let the tapes mix up the years and press repeat

by hamilton_taylorklaine



Category: Baby Driver (2017)
Genre: Epilogue, F/M, Fluff, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-06 05:52:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11594262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamilton_taylorklaine/pseuds/hamilton_taylorklaine
Summary: A snapshot of Baby and Debora's life together post-parole release.





	we let the tapes mix up the years and press repeat

**Author's Note:**

> Because there needs to be more Baby/Debora fic in the universe and Baby Driver was really fricken good.
> 
> Title from "Drive Darling" by BOY. Rated T for non-explicit mentions of sex.

Debora drives them off of the prison lot. She drives and drives and drives out of Atlanta, out of Georgia, and doesn't stop. They only had to share a glance as they got into the car to know that this is what had to be done.

But she drives slowly. She takes as many back roads as she can, and they end up driving in circles sometimes, but it lets Baby simply sit back and watch the world go by. It lets him sit back, close his eyes and breathe in and sigh, something he feels like he hasn't done in a long time. He's never had this kind of time, the opportunity to let a moment simmer and drag out, move through the world and the streets like syrup, slow and sweet. They're still in the white 60s Cadillac convertible that Debora picked him up in, so Baby keeps his black Ray Bans on to keep the sun out of his eyes. But he's awake enough to feel the car slow and stop at all the traffic lights and stop signs they come up to. And every time, even with his eyes closed, he can feel her eyes on him. And every time, he opens his eyes and lowers his sunglasses and he's met with the gorgeous sight of her looking back at him like he hung the moon and the stars and the sun shining down on them. And because he never in a million years thought anyone would look at him like that, let alone someone as magnificent as her, he can't help the smile that spreads over his face and can't stop himself from sitting up and kissing her. Every. Single. Time.

There's music playing constantly, just like they promised each other. Debora packed all of Baby's iPods, multiple pairs of earbuds, and a few chargers. Even some kind of cable that she found to charge the iPods through the car. And an aux cord. Those are almost impossible to connect to the old car, and even when they somehow manage to figure it out, it doesn't work for very long. So they get used to having one earbud in and sharing the other with the person next to them. Sometimes they use a headphone splitter that Debora also found. But Baby likes sharing better because it makes him lean to his left to keep the buds in. It gives him an excuse to lean closer to Debora, breathe her in, let the warmth of her skin radiate onto him.

They get used to sleeping in the car, sitting upright in empty parking lots or open field, wrapped around each other. Even in the uncomfortable setup, it's not hard to fall asleep after driving all day. They put on music anyway, for this too. Over the days and weeks they've been driving up the East Coast, Baby's been fiddling with one of the iPods and making a playlist of more relaxing songs than he's used to listening to. A new favorite, another one introduced to him by Debora, is The Paper Kites' "Bloom". It's light and gentle and soft and a sweet love song, and every time it comes through the earbuds, he wraps his arms tighter around her and brushes his lips across her forehead, and she sighs and tucks her head further under Baby's chin, and they are peacefully asleep within minutes.

They stop counting the days. There's really no point anymore. So it could have been days, weeks, maybe even months since Baby got out. It doesn't matter. They are here, they are alive, and they are together, and that is all that's important.

Here eventually becomes a beach town in New Jersey. It's sunny and cloudless and they can smell the ocean as they drive past all the little houses and motels. Debora turns the wheel and pulls into the parking lot of one. Baby sits up a little straighter and peers out from the passenger side. It's a few blocks down, but he thinks he can see the horizon line in the distance.

"We're farther than far enough," Debora says, and Baby turns around to face her. "And we could go even farther if we want to. But I think we need to sleep in a real bed for one night. I think you more than deserve it, after everything, don't you?"

This goes against the plan of never stopping. What if someone's been following them this whole time? What if they stop, and someone comes after them and they're both done for good? But Baby can see Debora is so tired, that she needs a night of normalcy (or as close to it as they can get) just as much as Baby does. So he nods once, kisses her, and they get out of the car.

Baby forces his shoulders to relax as they walk into the lobby. He's taken Debora's hand in his, and the concierge man is nice and Baby and Debora both nearly slump against the desk in relief when he tells them there's a vacancy. Debora's head falls onto Baby's shoulder as the man hands Baby a key card and Baby pays, some of the cash Doc gave them before...before.

"You're all set," the man says with a smile. "Just let us know if you need anything else."

Baby shakes his head and then looks around. "Just something from the vending machine."

Debora lifts her head in confusion and turns around. There is, in fact, a vending machine in the corner by the door. Baby's hand slips out of hers as he walks over and she follows, a few steps behind. He puts a dollar bill in and presses a few buttons, and Debora watches over Baby's shoulder as a small pack of condoms falls out of its aisle.

She freezes as Baby puts the pack in his back pocket. But when he turns around and notices her there, there's this look of shame and guilt that turn the nerves that are already in Debora's stomach upside down. But she wants it. They never got to before Baby was locked up, and now that he's out, she can't stop thinking about it. And him, all of him, and them together, in every way, always. And this sign that he has too, with the look on his face that he's putting her first when all she's done for years is put him first, all of that loosens those knots in her stomach. She takes those two steps closer to him and reaches up, gently running her fingers through his hair. She stretches up on her toes and places the softest of kisses on his cheek, giving him a closed-lipped smile as she settles back down. He smiles back, and she threads her fingers through his and leads them out.

The metal stairs that lead up to their second floor room are creaky and shake as they walk up. But luckily, there are no issues getting into their room. There's a small living area in the front, with a couch, a small dining table, and an old box TV. There's a little kitchen with a fridge, a stove and wooden cabinets, a small bathroom with a shower, and a bedroom in the back. One bed. Some drawers and a mirror, and another box TV hung up high in the corner. But only one bed. They barely get into the room before Debora practically collapses against Baby. Her arms circle his waist and her head falls onto his shoulder. Baby stumbles a step backward, but he holds her up, arms around her torso, one hand threading through her loose hair. And they just hold each other. Baby buries his nose into her hair and closes his eyes, and they just stay like that. They can't really explain it, but after everything that's already happened and before anything else can happen, they need this. They need to just be together in the quiet peace and hold onto it.

They relax on the couch for a while. They walk around outside. Eventually, they eat dinner at a diner a few blocks down. They walk a little more. By the time they've gotten back to their room, the sun's gone down. They were quiet as they walked back up the stairs, and the door closing behind them sounds heavy and final. Debora subconsciously turns around at the sound of it, and Baby meets her eyes, looking right through her. She pauses. The air is heavy and hot, the A/C thrums in her ear, but her shoulders drop and everything feels calm and okay.

But the corners of Baby's mouth turn up, and the smile reaches to his eyes, the feeling goes all the way down to his toes, and suddenly he is lifting her up and hoisting her over his shoulder.

She squeals in surprise and it quickly changes to a laugh as she kicks her legs like a child and demands to be put down. Baby doesn't listen completely, but he shifts her from off his shoulder, one hand on her back, the other under her knees, bridal style. Debora's arms come around his neck, and the last of her laughter slowly dies down, but the smile can't be wiped off her face. He kisses her gently, deeply, and carries her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

They leave the lights off--the open blinds give the moonlight enough room to shine through. And they take their sweet time. Baby slides his hands up her thighs and under her dress, Debora's hands travel along the muscles of his back. Their hands go anywhere and everywhere they want to. They are not ashamed to ask for things, more, less, here, there,  _right there_. The room is filled with their sounds, quiet whispers of love, high moans of each other's names. This is all they can say,  _Baby, Debora, I love you, I love you_. Right now, this is all they know.

When they are finished, they pull the blankets back and slide under them. Baby's so tired but in the most blissful way, and he fights to stay awake just a little bit longer to watch the moonlight cascade over Debora's curls as he runs his fingers through them. She sighs and smiles, and her breathing evens out shortly before Baby's does. But he's awake first in the morning, and the sunlight casting a golden hue over Debora is perhaps even more breathtaking.

God, he is so in love with her.

They stay in town the following day. There's a boardwalk several blocks away from the motel, and they walk their hand in hand. It overlooks the beach and everything smells like salt water and ice cream. The boards are lined with shops, and they're both grateful that it's still early enough that there aren't many people walking around. They go into one of the larger gift shops and chuckle at the key chains and magnets and other unnecessary but cute memorabilia. Somehow, they separate to make the way around the store, and at some point, Debora finds herself stopped in front of a glass container full of rings.

They're cheap and probably fake, but they look real and beautiful, and once again, everything they've done together plays through Debora's mind like a movie. She looks over at Baby, who's down past the case looking at postcards. Maybe they are a little young, and maybe they are a little reckless, and Debora knows she's a little crazy for involving herself in Baby's world in the first place. But she knows she's in love. And isn't love the answer to everything? If Baby's just as in love with her as she is with him, what could be so bad about being a little crazy?

She looks back down at the case and leans on her elbows, one hand propping her head up, the other pointer finger lazily circling over the display, somewhere in a dreamworld where everything works out the way she wants it to. Her finger keeps coming back to a gold ring with a single square diamond in the middle, and she smiles subconsciously as her mind starts painting pictures of a wedding and a life she could never lead.

Warmth presses against her back and arms snake around her waist. Baby tucks his chin over her shoulder, and Debora lets her head fall to the side and rest against his. Her eyes close and her hands slide off of the glass to rest on top of Baby's. They sway a little, unaware, and Baby noses her jaw, kisses her shoulder, and gently pulls his hand out from under hers.

"You like this one?" he asks quietly, right into her ear.

Debora opens her eyes and leans over. Baby is pointing into the glass case, directly at the ring she was eyeing. Debora's shoulders shake in embarrassed laughter, and she falls back again, pressing her forehead against Baby's temple. She can feel his lips turn up into a smile, and he pulls his head back slightly to rest his forehead against hers.

"Do you know your size?" he whispers, barely audible. She goes tense in Baby's arms. Her smile twitches and then falls. She meets his eyes and searches for some kind of sign that he's joking, or that he thinks she's crazy or delusional or out of her mind for even looking at the ring case. But there's none of that. His eyes are soft and his smile is small but warm. Maybe he's just giving in to her, spoiling her with things that she doesn't need, with an idea that will never come to fruition. But it's almost like she can feel his soul when they're pressed together like this, and it doesn't feel like he's leading her on. It doesn't feel like a proposal either. But it feels like all Baby wants to do is make her happy. And that makes her knees weak and her body melt in joy, disbelief, and something close to peace.

The word catches in her throat. "Seven."

He smiles brighter, untangles himself from her, and motions to the clerk. "Do you have this one, uh, D4 in a size 7?"

Debora can only stand back and watch as the transaction is made. The ring is in a box in a plastic bag that the clerk hands to Baby. He takes it with a smile and pays and then Debora is taken by the hand and led out of the store. It feels like she's floating as they walk directly across the width of the boardwalk to where a metal bar fence guards tourists from falling over the edge and onto the beach below. Baby has let go of her hand, so she lightly rests them on the horizontal bar in front of her and gazing out into the ocean several hundred feet away from them. Baby rests his elbows on the bar. The plastic bag hangs from his hand over the edge of the bar, gently swinging back and forth, taunting Debora in her peripheral vision.

"Any reason why you were looking at rings?" Baby asks after a while. Debora looks at her hands, now folded on the bar, and shrugs lightly.

"They just caught my eye," she lies. "They had a lot of really nice ones."

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Baby turn his head towards her. He doesn't even have to say anything--he knows she's lying, and she knows he knows that. She closes her eyes and lets her shoulders drop as she sighs.

"I just thought it would be nice...after all that time we were apart, we could just be together, and God, I missed you so much..." She turns to face Baby, one hand still resting on the bar. "We always said it would just be us," she adds around a sad chuckle and a tiny smile. It fades quickly and she shakes her head and looks at her shoes. "We have all the time in the world now," she says to the floor. Suddenly overcome with guilt and regret, she screws her eyes shut again and throws her head back.

"We have all the time in the world," she says again, this time frustrated and annoyed with herself. She opens her eyes, tears already starting to sting behind them, and stars absently at the sparse clouds in the sky. "We don't have to rush anything. Why do we..." She can't even finish the thought, and her head falls forward again. "I'm sorry, it was stupid and irrational and dumb."

"No," Baby says softly, and Debora watches his feet move as he takes the two steps to stand directly in front of her. He gently lifts her chin so she's looking into his eyes, and once again, there's nothing there but warmth and kindness and love. And a genuine belief that she's not as crazy as she thinks she is that feels so real it grounds her to the floor underneath her.

"It's not," he adds, just as quietly. Debora lets out a small breath and the corners of her lips turn up just the slightest bit. Baby's eyes dart down to her mouth, and he breaks out into a smile that quickly fades. Debora furrows her brow as Baby meets her gaze again.

"You wanna marry me?"

All of the muscles in Debora's face go slack in surprise. Her eyes dart around all over Baby's face, once again searching for something even if she's not entirely sure what. They settle on his lips for a moment before jumping back up to his eyes. Serious, but unwavering and strong and caring and she knows in every nerve of her body that he loves her. Her mouth stretches into a shy smile.

"Maybe someday."

Baby's expression settles into something unreadable. He doesn't speak for what feels to Debora like eternally long moments, and her face falls as she immediately backtracks.

"I mean, yeah, it's crazy and far-fetched and we're so young and we're so young and we don't have money or jobs or a place to live or--"

And then Baby sweeps her up into his arms and kisses her like he'll never get to kiss her again and Debora melts against him. Her hands come around his neck and tangle in his hair, and his hands splay across the small of her back, and the plastic back knocks against the bare backs of her legs and digs into her skin a little bit, but Debora couldn't care less. When they eventually pull back, Debora is breathless. She smiles as she collects herself and keeps her forehead pressed against Baby's so that their noses touch. Baby smiles softly and somehow finds the strength to let go of Debora. He pulls the box out of the bag and haphazardly shoves the plastic into his back pocket. His fingers fiddle with the box for a moment, and slowly, ever so slowly, he lowers himself down onto one knee. Debora softly begins to cry.

"Debora," he says looking up at her, and through her tears Debora is certain there is nothing in his eyes but love.

He opens the box, and the sunlight catches in the jewel.

"Will you marry me?"

Debora's only hesitation is to let the moment sink in, let herself remember it. And then she's nodding and laughing and still crying but feeling everything all at once.

"Yes," she responds. "Yes, of course I will, Baby, yes, yes."

The smile that lights up Baby's face is blinding. He takes her hand and slips the ring on, and then he stands and sweeps her up again. They smile into the kiss, and everything else falls away. It's just the two of them, together, the ring cold against Baby's arm, the back of his neck, everywhere Debora touches him. It sends shivers down both of their spines.

"I love you," he whispers against her lips. "I hope you know that."

"I do," she says, nodding and kissing him again. Every sentence is punctuated by a kiss. "Of course I do. Of course I do, Baby, I love you too. So much. I do. I do." 

**Author's Note:**

> I apparently can only write fluff and a little bit of shitty porn.
> 
> This ended up being a lot longer than originally planned, but then again I only came up with the outline for this story a day or so after I saw the movie, and while I was trying to fall asleep.
> 
> Come scream at me about Baby Driver (or whatever you want, really) on tumblr @ taylorklaine and/or twitter @ courtnoodles. Please leave comments and kudos if you liked it. Thank you so much for reading.


End file.
